The Obsessive-compulsive Disorder Subreddit (/r/OCD) is for users with a mental disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that the person feels driven to perform, according to rules that must be applied rigidly, aimed at reducing anxiety by preventing some imagined dreaded event. However, these compulsive behaviors and mental acts are not connected to the imagined dreaded event.

RULES:

1. Do not ask /r/OCD for medical advice - including: asking for a diagnosis, self-diagnosis confirmation, or opinions as to whether you have OCD.

2. Do not give medical advice or attempt to diagnose other users. For more information, please see reddit's user agreement and this post.

3. Keep submissions relevant to the topic. OCD is not synonymous with the mild feeling of annoyance caused by things like this, this, and this. Posts about life's minor annoyances belong somewhere like /r/mildlyinfuriating.

Community Resources

OCD Support Chat -
This OCD support group chat is an anonymous, friendly, and inclusive chatroom full of people who understand the challenges of coping with OCD.

CalmHands - A forum focused on a form of OCD called Compulsive Skin Picking.

MaladaptiveDreaming - Maladaptive Daydreaming. "Immersive or excessive daydreaming which is specifically characterized by attendant distress or functional impairment, whether or not it is contingent upon a history of trauma or abuse."

Trichsters - A forum focused on trichotillomania, or compulsive hair-pulling.

Trichotillomania - A forum focused on trichotillomania, or compulsive hair-pulling.

Back on Your Feet - A subreddit designed for the sole purpose of helping those who have hit the absolute bottom. Those who seek to improve, but do not know where to start.

MODERATORS

First of all, I'm 16. I was raised Muslim, and remain so. I'm not too religious, and have opened my mind these past year or so, outside the bubble of dogmatic religion. Yet, with all of the changes in perspective I've undergone, my obsessive disorder keeps me toiling over the most trivial aspects of Islam. I constantly get intrusive thoughts that tell me I should praise God all the time, or at certain times of the day. I begin to feel uneasy and anxious until I feel the need to reassure myself that I need not do so. I give into my anxiousness and start to counter these intrusive thoughts with other thoughts, such as "this is only your POCD, stop obsessing over it" etc., etc. This gives my mind relief for a little while, but then the intrusive thoughts come back, and I start to constantly repeat to myself the same counter thoughts, until the counter thoughts themselves become an obsession. Then I start to feel that the counter thoughts aren't rational enough, and I try to come up with new counter thoughts. If I try to simply forget about it, it makes me feel illogical, stupid, dismissive, etc. It's extremely frustrating and has been a very large distraction to my everyday life for these past few months. It has distracted me from schoolwork, social gatherings, and worst of all, my own free time. I've gotten to the point where I just tell myself not to give a fuck about these thoughts anymore. This is sufficient for a few days of relief. Then, the thoughts start to come back. The process repeats, like a never ending cycle. I don't know why my mind insists on obsessing over these silly thoughts. What's most frustrating is when I observe life around me. Everyone seems so calm. They get by in life without having to worry about stupid shit like this. I don't get it. All I want is to have peace of mind. How do I stop this before it makes me go crazy?

Accept the thoughts: the more you push them away by saying 'this is not me, go away' the worse they get. And its really hard i know, but the more you accept them, the vaguer they get. That said, your thoughts seem to have become so intrusive that i suggest you really see a therapist cause the danger you're facing if you don't is get a depression from it and it'll only get worse.
The best of luck!

A good book to read about this type of acceptance Is Radical Acceptance. It has a lot of Buddhist teachings in it, but you don't need to be Buddhist to benefit from reading it. I'm terrible at concentrating, so I basically skipped all of the meditations, which I'm sure would have helped me out with some negative thought pattern. Even without meditating, I do feel I understand my flaws and my obsessive thoughts a bit better. I don't feel as tortured, for one thing.

What koosje is talking about is described well here. I worked with the doctor who maintains that site to deal with my own intrusive thoughts, and they're pretty much entirely gone now.

Right now, you're trying to push the thoughts away. This is like me telling you "don't think about a polar bear." What's the first thing you think of when you try not to think of a polar bear? A polar bear! In the same way, when you're trying hard not to think your intrusive thoughts, you're actually just thinking about them more.

The solution is to 1) realize when you're having OCD thoughts, and 2) accept that they exist. Instead of trying to use logic to get them to go away, say to yourself, "This thought is a product of my OCD. The content of the thought doesn't matter, because it's not a logical thought. It's just an OCD thought. So, I don't need to fight it, because it doesn't mean anything-- it's just there, and that's okay. It has no power over me."

Eventually, you'll find that the less you fight the thoughts, the less they pop up at all, and finally they'll just fade away altogether. It's really freeing!

You're very welcome! I've met a guy with religious OCD (Christianity-themed instead of Islam-themed, but basically the same) and it really struck me how miserable he was but also how well-meaning and earnest he was. Hopefully this will help you be truly devout in the way you want to be while also being able to find joy and peace in your religion.

I want to respond to/support a lot of these comments, so instead of replying to one I'll start a new one. First off, I'm sorry this afflicts you; it sucks, and no one should have to go through it.

I also went through religious POCD, though mine was based in hinduism; however, I am Indian, and so, culturally, I know quite a bit about what its like to have an eastern family. My parents had-and to an extent still don't--no real idea of what a mental illness is. I hid for many years because I was afraid of how they'd react, but ultimately went to them only because I thoguht I had no other choice. And, knowing I was serious, as best they could, they embraced me. It sounds like your parents are a tougher sell. Maybe consider approaching your Imam, and asking him to talk with your parents and tem. Explain to him that its not about being against your religion, and if anything, its about being able to do it, because this clouds out your thoughts, and you want to get help. I don't know your imam, but many religious figures have a better understanding, and hearing it from him might put you parents in a frame of mind to understand. Also, consider talking to your school nurse; she may know of free resources to help.

As for dealing with your thoughts, I echo what many here have said. Think of OCD as a fire. Its burning off random fears and stuff in your mind. You can throw some water on it--medicine and therapy--and that'll help, but only as much as you have. Some will be left, and throwing counter thoughts and other stuff in there is like throwing things into dislodge the wood--yes it might help momentarily, but ultimately you've given it more fuel. All you can do is be calm, and let the fire burn. Lean into it. Let it happen. Don't repsond. Reject the premise of its existence. And just let it happen, then move on. With time, it will decrease. Again, do not say bad things won't happen, or they wil, just keep trying to focus on something else, or anything else. If you ignore a bully, eventually, he goes away.

Yeah man, thanks. This helps me understand it a lot better. I just have to realize that the thoughts themselves are not the real problem, so treating them like they are is only going to make it worse. You have to go to the root of the problem and deal with it that way.

The religion is different, but I'll share what worked for me 10 years ago. You've got an advantage over me at the time in that you know it's POCD. First and foremost, find a therapist or visit your existing one. If you're on medication, talk to your psychiatrist. Therapy and/or medication are much more effective than trying to deal with it on your own.

With that out of the way, what helped me the most (prior to getting things under control with medication) was to examine my own faith. To look at what I believed and why. You feel that the thoughts are irrational. Open up the Book (for me, the Bible, for you I assume the Quran) and find justification for your point of view. For me, reading up on it and truly convincing myself was far more helpful than just telling myself the thoughts were irrational. It's not quick or foolproof, but it did help.

The thing is, I have done that, and I understand that my religion doesn't really command us to do what I'm obsessing over. It's just..I don't know. My mind insists on being preoccupied with silly shit. My parents would never take me to a therapist, they just wouldn't understand. I'll just have to learn to slowly let go of it.

With respect to that last part, it would be worth trying to convince your parents. As koosje said, depression either occurring with or triggered by your POCD is a major risk.

I was 16 when I first had any issues with POCD, and it triggered serious depression. I've had minor episodes since, but the first was by far the worst. Stopped eating, lost 50 pounds, etc. Even after I finally broke down and sought help, getting the medication balanced out to the point it worked took 6 months. That was easily the worst period of my life. Ten years later, medication has made all the difference in the world for me.

Recognizing that it's POCD is a serious advantage. I thought I was losing my mind. At the same time, press the advantage while you've got it. Without treatment, things may not get better, and they may well get worse.